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Cooked food in compost
figgy
Posts: 3
Hello all,
I'm new to composting and did not realise that there were things that should not go in my compost bin - cooked food, bread etc.
I have been composting away for 6 months, throwing pretty much everything in there! Now, I have a nearly full bin and I'm wondering what I should do with it, given that it's full of "bad" things!?
Any advice most welcome!
0
Posts
If it looks like compost, it's compost. The cooked food thing is mostly about not attracting rats, otherwise a small amount of cooked stuff doesn't hurt
In the sticks near Peterborough
I put cooked food and bread in mine.
In fact, apart from the roots of ground elder/ couch grass and bindweed , I chuck pretty much everything in mine.
Once you come to turn it, or spread it, if it still looks "alive", keep it to one side and chuck it back in the bin for another session.
But yours is huge Hosta ... I bet it really heats up!
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
That would explain why I lifted the lid one day and there was a rat actually inside the bin...:/
On that note...given that rats have been in there, is it still OK to use for growing fruit and veg?
Yes, it'll be ok ... just wear gloves if handling it, especially if you've any fresh cuts, and wash your hands well afterwards.
Don't forget, rats, mice and other creatures are running all over our garden when we're not watching
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thank you everyone!
I dont put anything cooked, bread, tom or potato waste, read you shouldnt do that because of blight problems.
All our food waste either goes to the dog or the compost heap. The dog likes all those things you really shouldn't put in a compost, like fish skins, meat, cheese, etc. My compost is sealed up in a garbage can though, and inaccessible to animals. If you have an open compost, or even one with an open bottom, I would stay away from any cooked materials. Even then, the rodents still find it interesting. Every winter I have mice living in my open weed compost pile, as it's cozy and dry there under the snow. As Dove said, wear some gloves and wash your hands.
Ah, yes I have 2 dogs, mind you I dont waste anything Greg Wallace would be proud of me!